Water Woes

Everything you ever wanted to know about the periodic lack of water at Telemark

Frustrated when we close the washrooms?  We might be headed for some rough times for the balance of the season.

First, let me share the design.  Then I will explain the problem and what we are doing to mitigate.

Water Works System Design

We have a low-flowrate well.  The water is outstanding quality, but unfortunately best-case the current well is only able to sustain 2.5 gallons per minute draw.  To put in perspective, that is 2 toilet flushes…

To overcome the peaks we get on Saturdays and on race weekends, we installed a 1200 gallon cistern.  This allows the well to continuously pump at a leisurely rate 24/7 to fill the cistern and we have enough water stored to handle 900 toilet flushes.

 

 

The Problem

All good, right?  No.

After the never-ending drought this summer, our faithful well is no longer able to supply the 2.5 gallons per minute we are used to.  In fact, it is barely giving us any water at all at the moment.

Interim Solution

This is what we are doing to work the problem:

1. We have installed a low-level alarm in the cistern to tell our staff when we don’t have enough water for the washrooms.  When the alarm goes, we have no choice but to close the washrooms to preserve water for the essentials.  We will keep the washrooms open as much as possible, but we will not risk a total outage.
2. We are bringing in porta-potties for the rest of the season as a temporary measure.
3. We are considering trucking in water as-needed to re-fill the cistern.  If you know someone who can do this please contact Ron!

Long-term Solution

This summer, we will be looking for a permanent solution.  It may require drilling a second well.

Thank you for your tolerance.  I hope this helps you understand what we are up against.

Barry